Knitted hosiery



ammo

D. M. CARMER KNITTED HOSIERY Aug 8, 1933.,

Filed Aug; 2, 1950 Patented Aug. 8, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 1 Claim.

This invention relates to knitted hosiery, with reference especially to full fashioned hosiery produced initially as a flat fabric, for example for stockings, although the word hosiery is intended 5 to include other garments or analogous articles.

The invention relates more particularly to the matter of narrowing the fabric as the knitting progresses, and is applicable wherever a gradual narrowing is to be effected, for example inthe fabric of full fashioned stockings below the calf.

wherein the resulting structure or fabric is symmetrical at the two sides, the narrowing being effected at both ends either of successive courses or rows or periodically at predetermined courses.

The general object of the present invention is to afford a fabric or hosiery improved in certain respects in relation to the manner of progressive narrowing thereof. Under the customary practise a given number of loops at the end of a course are bodily lifted from the corresponding needles and shifted inwardly to the extent of two needles, units or wales, and there replaced upon the needles. This mode of narrowing is repeated regularly or periodically along the length of the fabric. The method and product are objectionable in several respects, as will be pointed out, and yet the objections are substantially unavoidable when hosiery is made according to the customary methods upon the usual machines as heretofore known, this being due to the mode of action and to a certain conflict which would oc cur if it were attempted to effect the narrowing otherwise than by two needles or wales in each operation.

A particular object therefore of the present invention is to obviate the existing necessity of narrowing by the extent of two needles or units in each operation, and to afford a method and product wherein each narrowing is by the extent of only a single unit, needle or wale. This possesses salient advantages as compared with the drawbacks of the previous methodand fabric. The resulting hosiery is stronger as there is no undue stretching or straining of the thread when narrowing or stepping in by the extent of only one loop or needle, so that there is less likelihood of breakage of threads during manufacture or during wear, with consequent runs. There is less likelihood of dropping out stitchesduring manufacture and thus weakening the fabric. The operation of shifting or stepping inward by one unit as against two gives a smoother operation with less strain upon the delicate parts of the knitting machine. The resulting product or hosiery is bettenfitting because the narrowing approaches more nearly to a uniformly inclined line when stepping in onethan when stepping in two units at each operation. The fabric is of improved appearance since the demarcation 0 or zigzag m'oduced by the narrowing is far less noticeable. The present invention is of special advantage in the production of so-called French heels upon hosiery. A narrowed fabric possessing the described characteristics and advantages is believedto be novel.

My new narrowing has particular application along therear selvage of the fabric, i. e., along the selvage extending from the lower rear corner of the heel at the terminus of the heel looping up the back of the leg and into the welt. The fabric 7 for the most part in this section of the stocking is not reinforced and is also exposed to view when the stocking isworn. It is therefore of great importance that the fashioning marks at the rear selvage edge be neat in appearance. In addition, this portion of the stocking receives the greatest transverse strain, i. e., at this portion of the stocking the strain for the most part is course-wise or normal to the wales. This applies to the heel, the calf, and the rear of the knee. For this reason 30 fashioning at these points is desirably of a nature to withstand such strains transversely of the fab- Other and further objects and advantages will be explained in the herinafter following description of an illustrative embodiment of the invention or will be understoodto those conversant with the subject. To the attainment of the objects and advantages referred to the present invention consists in the novel knitted hosiery or fabric, herein illustrated or described.

In the accompanying drawing Figure 1 diagrammatically represents an area of fabric or section of hosiery constructed according to the present invention, with a selvage edge at the left and the fabric broken off at the right beyond the place of narrowing; and this figure may be considered as representing the rear side of the completed fabric, and the open space along the. center being intended to indicate that between narrowing courses there may be one or a greater number of plain courses of knitting.

Fig, 2 is a side view of a'full fashioned stocking showing the application of my invention.

Referring first to Fig. 1 the fabric is shown as constituted of a single thread a which is manipulated to form successive courses b, c, d, e, 1, etc.- and the loops of which are interengaged generally in accordance with established knitting practice, the loops of the last produced course I being shown still engaged upon the bank of needles 5. The course 11 is shown as centrally broken out to indicate that several plain courses may be introduced between each narrowing course.

The course b is shown as of the greatest width, with 10 loops. The course 0 is shown as narrowed to the extent of a single loop, needle or wale. This may be done by means of a so-called bar of transfer points, such as are customarily used in knitting machines, for example seven in number, operated to engage, at the time of narrowing, the seven end loops on the bank of needles, removing them from the needles, ,olfsetting or shifting them one unit or neezdle inwardly, and replacing them in the narrowed condition upon the needles, so that the seventh loop marked 0'' is placed over the same needle as the adjacent eighth loop 0 It will be noticed as to the seven stepped in loops in course cthat the threads assume but a very slight incline, so that they are not elongated or strained unduly in the shifting action, but are easily shifted without danger either to the thread or to the knitting instruments. The overlapping of thread loops for narrowing purposes in each course is kept down to the minimum, so that the appearance of the overlap in the finished fabric is hardly noticeable. The stepping in being minimum at any course there is no abrupt change and the resulting selvage edge is smoothly shaped and inclined. i

In the course d, which may represent several courses, plain knitting is again shown, without narrowing, and thereafter narrowing course e is formed similarly to course 0, with loop e overlapping loop e.

In this way the fabric may be narrowed at the side edges at selected courses and by a minimum amount at each narrowing. For" example the fabric might be narrowed by the amount of one loop or needle at every course, giving the same degree of narrowing as heretofore done by a method of narrowing by two loops or units at every second course, but with a great improvement in the resulting product, as already explained. Or

narrowed courses may be alternated with plain courses, as shown, giving the same degree of narrowing as two-loop narrowing at every fourth course. 1

While the invention is shown in-a single-thread knit fabric it will be clear that a reenforcing thread may be introduced, as desired, and that the narrowing method hereof may be applied to either or both of such threads. The fabric in one course may be narrowed at one end only of the course, and the next narrowing course may be narrowed at the other end only. In the usual embodiment, however, the fabric will be symmetrically narrowed at both ends of each narrowing course, and Fig. 1 represents such a fabric, of the full width of a stocking, and narrowed at courses 0, 2 etc. at both sides.

Generally speaking, the preferred mode of operation of a knitting machine to produce the desired fashioning in hosiery being knitted comprises, during the successive narrowing operations, (which may be in successive courses or periodically), the shifting of the transfer points inwardly to the extent of one unit or needle in one operation while in the same operation readjusting the stops for the thread carrier by two units or needles, thus avoiding bringing the thread carrier opposite to a sinker; and in the next operation again adjusting the transfer points inwardly to the extent of one unit or needle, while leaving the stops for the thread carrier without adjustment. In other words in one narrowing operation the transfer points are shifted one unit and the stops two units and in the next operation the transfer points one unit while the stops are not shifted, and so forth. In this way the two readjustments substantially keep pace with each other throughout the narrowing operations, while the short movement of the transfer points affords the desired narrowing by a single unit or needle, and the longer adjustment of the stops, at each alternate narrowing operation, determines the proper throw of the thread carrier, without at any time leaving it in the position to interfere with the operation of the sinkers.

In Figure 2 I show my invention as applied specifically to a full fashioned stocking. This figure shows the usual welt, leg, and foot portions. As is common practice the calf of the leg is narrowed as at 4. There is also narrowing near the top of the leg at 5 which constitutes that portion of the stocking which generally is at the back of the knee and at which portion the leg becomes thicker into the thigh. The heel is narrowed as at 6 to make the heel pocket. There is also narrowing at 7 in the sole immediately forward of the heel and at 8 is the usual toe narrowing for producing the so-called diamond point toe.

As is conventional in the full fashioned stocking, the fabric runs longitudinally of the leg and turns longitudinally of the foot through the instep. This results in wales running longitudinally of the leg and of the foot, as is indicated by the shading in Figure 2. Because of the peculiarity in the process of manufacturing, wales will run longitudinally from the leg into the heel pocket. This results in courses in the heel being longitudinal of the foot because courses are invariably transverse of wales. In the leg of the stocking there is a considerable transverse strain. There is also a strain longitudinally of courses in the heel and transversely of the heel narrowing line 6.

As in accordance with conventional practice the stocking of Figure 2 shows the toe looping 9 and heel looping 10. The stocking is seamed from the toe looping to the heel looping along the foot selvage 11. It is also seamed from the point 12 where heel looping 10 terminates up the backlofthe leg along the rear selvage edge 14 into and throughout the welt 1.

My single needle narrowing may be used anywhere where narrowing is done. However, it is especially desirable at the rear selvage edge, that is, at the points 4, 5 and 6 where the greatest course-wise strain occurs. My narrowing is especially constructed to resist course-wise strain on narrowed loops.

There have thus been described an article of knitted hosiery and a method for producing the same embodying the principes and. attaining the objects of the present invention. Since many matters of method, construction, operation, combination and detail may be variously modified without departing from the pinciples it is not intended to limit the invention to such matters except so far as set forth in the appended claim.

What, is claimed is:

A full fashioned knitted stocking in which the fabric for parts of the length thereof is narrowed along the rear selvage edges to constitute marginal fashioned areas of great strength and neat appearance, such fashioned areas including designated narrowing courses in which groups of loops adjacent each of the rear selvage edges are offset inwardly without material strain thereon to the extent of only a single loop so that only the innermost loop in each of the offset groups overlaps another loop therewith to constitute'a fashioning mark of minimum size and of strength commensurate with the other portions of the stocking fabric.

DANA M. CARMER. 

